Chapter 2 - White sand and black smoke
At almost any other point in recent history if Denmark had dared to attack two nations within a short span of time Denmark would quickly stop being a nation, Prussia might declare they were protecting their Germanic brothers and declare war, or Sweden who had always been eyeing Norway hungrily would declare that it was protecting the peoples of Europe from the Danish menace. However with Europe on fire few noticed the small country known as Denmark attacking either smaller countries, and even fewer cared.
Danish forces landed on the white and sunny beaches of Oldenburg without opposition, Danish forces merely marched into the city of Oldenburg and hoisted the Danish flag. When this was done they marched into the city of Delmenhorst and again facing little resistance, hoisted the Danish flag. A second army landed in Oldenburg to assist the Danish forces.
This was when the Danes realized that the Oldenburgian forces had simply withdrew to the town of Minden. The town of Minden itself was not much however it had large walls and a supply depot making it the perfect fortress, the Danish commander Wilhelm Friedrich Philipp von Württemberg who had also led the war against Mecklenburg moved the two Danish armies into Minden to besiege the town
Wilhelm Friedrich Philipp von Württemberg decided that they would simply wait, the town was well garrisoned and he didn't want to risk a defeat and lose all of the glory he had after his victorious Mecklenburg campaign. The siege dragged on and on until finally two brigades of infantry arrived in Minden to reinforce the siege brought a message from the king to Wilhelm which simply read "Hurry up." Wilhelm almost completely red with a mixture of embarrassment and anger ordered an assault on the town.
The garrison barely fought at all, many decided to simply surrender and those who didn't were too tired from the constant boom of artillery and too weak from the small amount of rations they got to put up much of a fight. The town was taken and so was any hope of the Danish leaving Oldenburg, on the 24th April 1805 Oldenburg was annexed into the new Danish empire.
The new territory of the Danish empire.
In Copenhagen the bells rung and people rejoiced in the streets, their king had brought them victory and had at least regained some of Denmark's past glory. The king himself was praised and many began believing that perhaps rich nobles or educated men who looked down on the commoners were not the way forward, but instead a strong king like Christian VII who was kind and merciful but also authoritative and powerful but above all treated commoners with the same respect with which he would treat nobles was the only way in which Denmark could hope to become great again.
At almost any other point in recent history if Denmark had dared to attack two nations within a short span of time Denmark would quickly stop being a nation, Prussia might declare they were protecting their Germanic brothers and declare war, or Sweden who had always been eyeing Norway hungrily would declare that it was protecting the peoples of Europe from the Danish menace. However with Europe on fire few noticed the small country known as Denmark attacking either smaller countries, and even fewer cared.
Danish forces landed on the white and sunny beaches of Oldenburg without opposition, Danish forces merely marched into the city of Oldenburg and hoisted the Danish flag. When this was done they marched into the city of Delmenhorst and again facing little resistance, hoisted the Danish flag. A second army landed in Oldenburg to assist the Danish forces.
This was when the Danes realized that the Oldenburgian forces had simply withdrew to the town of Minden. The town of Minden itself was not much however it had large walls and a supply depot making it the perfect fortress, the Danish commander Wilhelm Friedrich Philipp von Württemberg who had also led the war against Mecklenburg moved the two Danish armies into Minden to besiege the town
Wilhelm Friedrich Philipp von Württemberg decided that they would simply wait, the town was well garrisoned and he didn't want to risk a defeat and lose all of the glory he had after his victorious Mecklenburg campaign. The siege dragged on and on until finally two brigades of infantry arrived in Minden to reinforce the siege brought a message from the king to Wilhelm which simply read "Hurry up." Wilhelm almost completely red with a mixture of embarrassment and anger ordered an assault on the town.
The garrison barely fought at all, many decided to simply surrender and those who didn't were too tired from the constant boom of artillery and too weak from the small amount of rations they got to put up much of a fight. The town was taken and so was any hope of the Danish leaving Oldenburg, on the 24th April 1805 Oldenburg was annexed into the new Danish empire.
The new territory of the Danish empire.
In Copenhagen the bells rung and people rejoiced in the streets, their king had brought them victory and had at least regained some of Denmark's past glory. The king himself was praised and many began believing that perhaps rich nobles or educated men who looked down on the commoners were not the way forward, but instead a strong king like Christian VII who was kind and merciful but also authoritative and powerful but above all treated commoners with the same respect with which he would treat nobles was the only way in which Denmark could hope to become great again.
